ski to sea!

The race was so much fun. It wasn't all high-tech
like the Seattle Half-Marathon. There were lots of
ill-prepared racers (ie lots of skiers doing
faceplants). I'm excited to see my time. I actually
had a pretty comical race. At about mile 7, a boy who
I ran cross-country with in high school passed me.
Hehe...I recognized him immediately from his running
form, although I hadn't seen him in 6 years. He runs
like an antelope. I thought, "Dammit! How dare he
pass me!" So I decided to try to tail him, although
it was kind've stupid because he was always faster
than me and quite a bit taller (he even ran in
college). Fortunately for me, and my Sourdough
Mountain Thighs, the last bit was uphill. I started
sprinting and passed him in the last 20ft! I think I
was actually smirking in the last bit. And then I
sort of collapsed into some race official's arms and
she carried me to a bag of sliced oranges and a nice
patch of grass. He came up to me and said something like, "I can't
believe YOU passed me in the end." (of course I think
he started a good bit after me and ran a faster
overall time...but, it's what happens at the finish
line, right!?). Strange coincidence...at least he
took his defeat well :), and it was run into him
again...or should I say run past him.

It was funny, because we didn't really talk too much in high school. Often, when I run into people from high school, people who were my friends, we have these conversations that are very similar to getting teeth pulled at the dentists. But he was so nice to talk to, very open and kind and listening to what I was saying. We walked up the highway in the cold drizzle, shivering in our flimsy running shorts and wet socks. I could've kept on walking all day.